Gateway Puts A New Tint On State Lifting

SPORTS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

KISSIMMEE — Gateway High School's Bob Tint has dreamed about competing against the state's best weightlifters. Dreams die hard, but Tint was not about to let this one slip away.

When the Class AAA Florida Weightlifting Tournament took place in Tallahassee Saturday, Tint, 18, the Osceola Sentinel athlete of the week, was ready for to the challenge.

He didn't win the 132-pound division, but he placed in the top four by lifting 270 pounds in the bench, 205 in the clean and jerk for a 475 total.

More significantly, Tint's performance may have served notice to the state's weightlifters that he may be a dominant force in the sport next year as a senior.

''I was happy with my performance,'' Tint said. ''I could have done better, but fourth place isn't too bad. I have another year to get better.''

For the last two years, he has done exactly that.

Consider that Tint finished fourth in his first state meet. And it wasn't his personal best. In an earlier meet, Tint benched 280 pounds and clean and jerked 205 (285 total). His best effort in the clean and jerk is 210 pounds.

One of the reasons a guy so small can lift so much weight is work, and plenty of it. To some athletes, spending more than two hours a day, four days a week in the weight room is not much fun. But Tint takes advantage of every opportunity to be there. He is an athlete who always seems to carry his enthusiasm into his competitions.

Gateway Coach Scott Hallock said Tint is like a ''kid let loose in a candy store'' during competition. However, when it is time to go to work, the excitement turns to intensity.

''He (Tint) can get pretty jacked up at times,'' Hallock said. ''Bobby has done a good job for us all year. He could have done better at the state meet. He probably was a little nervous being in his first one. Bobby's a fine young man and we're glad to have him back next year.''

Tint credits Hallock for his and the team's success this year. The Panthers won the 1990 Orange Belt Conference and finished 19th in the state tourney, a remarkable accomplishment considering Gateway had only three entries (Tint, Troy Smith at 181 and Bobby Johnson at 114 were the others).

''Coach Hallock pushes us to be better,'' said Tint, runner-up in the OBC to the eventual state champion, Malcolm Robinson of Jones. ''We would not have gone as far as we did without him.''

Hallock added that it helps to have the talent to work with. With Tint, Smith and Johnson returning, Hallock is looking positively at 1991.

He is especially optimistic about Tint's future.

''Bobby has all the tools to be a great one,'' said Coach Scott Hallock. ''If he dedicates himself, I think he could be a state champion at 132, maybe at 148. A lot will depend on him in the offseason.''

Tint would like to remain at 132 pounds, but he knows that would be tough to do. His muscular frame could easy add up more weight unless he maintains a strict diet.

Whether its 132 or 148, Tint says he'll be ready for next season. Placing so high in the state meet has made him hungrier for more.

Other nominees: Osceola's Bobby Walker established a career-high 630 total for sixth place in the heavyweight division. His 330 bench press and 300 clean and jerk were personal bests. Gateway's Bobby Johnson improved his personal best by 20 pounds with a 355 total, good enough for seventh place in the 114-pound division. Gateway's Troy Smith set a school record with a 320-pound bench press en route to a 555 total and 12th place at 181 pounds.